Thanks for the link to that great application. It will surely be very handy in the future. I had orginally identified that village, but talked myself out of it eventually. I just thought it was to far north and to developed. So I looked for some places closer to the river exit point and less developed.

I see the issue as World Race Productions not having a first task near the AR22 start line to "separate the wheat from the chaff" as Phil has said earlier. If they had, probably the composition of the first flight would have been closer to the teams now remaining.

I disagree. The way I see it, most of the teams eliminated so far weren't inept continuously, they were pretty competitive people who ran into just one inconvenience that sealed their fate:* The twins are done by facing the one challenge they were not ready to deal with* Jessica & John were done for their bad luck and lack of judgment, after they had been racing consistently well* Dave & Connor were leading the pack in spite of their injury and only had to withdraw out of medical concern* Pam & Winnie were also leading in later legs but were done by what could only be considered a "brain fart"

I believe these four teams wold have had a chance at the million had they not tripped.

I agree with Dan on this one. Many of the teams that have been eliminated so far were potentially the strongest teams in the race, and the factors leading to their respective eliminations were rather unlikely, at least on paper. What we are left with is a race that allows the former "bottom-feeding" or "average" teams (Bates & Anthony are the only frontrunners left) a chance to shine.

That being said, I miss Dave & Connor and am sad about Pam & Winnie...

Logged

"The authority of example and considerations of character, unlike pudding, are not whipped up in an instant." - Neal A. Maxwell

Maybe one of you great spoilers can clear up something that has been bothering me about this episode. I've discussed this with some friends who also love The Amazing Race and no is remembering what I think I remember.

It seems to be that many seasons ago a team got a penalty when they checked in for speeding on the race. Does anyone remember that or am I imagining it?

I just looked up season 13 on Wikipedia. I knew I remembered something.

"Terence & Sarah initially arrived 3rd, but were issued a 30-minute penalty for speeding and was issued at the start of the next leg. They thus departed 5th in the next leg."

So does this mean that Caroline & Jennifer as well as Max & Katie will be getting a 30 minute penalty at the start of the next leg and if so will they even tell us? Considering that Max and Katie were next to last on this leg it could even make a difference if Pam and Winnie finished less than a half hour after them. Is there any way to find out if they did away with the penalty for speeding? Perhaps since both teams paid their fines and used more than a half hour to do it, that in itself was the penalty. Any opinions on this?

I would think the later point you said would probably be the case. That the fact they got busted and had to go to the police station and was a delay to the race and and about an $80 fine IIRC is enough of a penalty itself that they would not get penalized again.

Actually, you can go back to season 2 in Namibia for the origin of this.

In that season, and in a couple of subsequent seasons the teams were instructed in the clue instructions not to exceed a stated speed limit. The stated limited was a lower speed than what was legally permitted. In these cases, the teams would receive a penalty of 30 minutes plus the amount of time saved from speeding. (The documentation was in the film shot by the camera crew, who were recording the speedometer during the task.)

When teams violated local traffic laws, the teams has to deal with the local police on the matter, and pay whatever fine was assessed. That was the case in this last episode with both teams that had to pay the fine out of their cash they had accumulated by that point in the Race.

That latter rule also applies to violating other traffic laws, as was the case for one team that ran afoul of the Moscow police; I'd have to look for which season, but the show did show the team getting a traffic ticket (IIRC, the team had driven in to an area where traffic had been temporarily blocked.)

In the first part it looks like the penalty of 30 minutes is still in effect for speeding but in the second part you mention that they have to pay the fine if caught. Does paying the fine mean that they won't be penalized? Part of this is curiosity and the other part is if Pam and Winnie did check in within 30 minutes of Max and Katie then Max and Katie should have been eliminated. I don't think they would have telecast Pam and Winnie's elimination if this was the case but I do think the penalty for speeding should have been brought up if it is still in effect for both teams that were caught.

The show imposes a penalty for violation of an instruction given in or with a clue, such as a show-imposed speed limit. (The legal speed limit would be higher than the one TPTB imposed for the task.)

The payment of a fine for violation of local posted speed limits, such as in the most recent Botswana legs, is not a penalty assessed by the show, but is a fine imposed by the local police. The teams lose whatever time and money is consumed because of it, but the show does not impose its own penalty.

Keep in mind that when the show imposes an instruction for a task, such as a lower than the posted speed limit, or having a provided driver drive the team's vehicle after dark or in certain terrain, that is usually due to insurance requirements to assure the safety of the teams.

Actually, you can go back to season 2 in Namibia for the origin of this.

In that season, and in a couple of subsequent seasons the teams were instructed in the clue instructions not to exceed a stated speed limit. The stated limited was a lower speed than what was legally permitted. In these cases, the teams would receive a penalty of 30 minutes plus the amount of time saved from speeding. (The documentation was in the film shot by the camera crew, who were recording the speedometer during the task.)

When teams violated local traffic laws, the teams has to deal with the local police on the matter, and pay whatever fine was assessed. That was the case in this last episode with both teams that had to pay the fine out of their cash they had accumulated by that point in the Race.

That latter rule also applies to violating other traffic laws, as was the case for one team that ran afoul of the Moscow police; I'd have to look for which season, but the show did show the team getting a traffic ticket (IIRC, the team had driven in to an area where traffic had been temporarily blocked.)

Hope that helps.

theschnauzers,

I believe you were thinking not of Moscow but AR10 in Kiev episode 10 where just before their elimination Erwin and Godwin drove through a plaza with a marked by police closed-off section on their way from the National Music Academy of Ukraine to the Great Patriotic War Museum.